


The Romance Section

by majic8balljoos



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kissing in the Rain, Libraries, Mentions of homophobia, Poor Atsumu Miya he deserved better I’m sorry, Rain, Rare Pairings, first name basis, set in 1982
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28190841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majic8balljoos/pseuds/majic8balljoos
Summary: Shoyo is obsessed with rotary phones, even if they are a little outdated. Hitoka is a sucker for romance books. When they stumble upon each other at the library, they bond over their love over romance books. Even if a short twist of events threatens their friendship, they eventually find their way back to each other.I’m starved of HinaYachi fics, and I can’t even write my own. Yet, I attempted to, so if you like clichè short romance stories like me, I hope you enjoy this fic I made to feed my sappy asf heart. :)No, I am not proof-reading the summary, do it yourself. /j
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Yachi Hitoka, Past Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	The Romance Section

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact:
> 
> Rotary phones cost from around $20 - $500 dollars based on their model, age, colour, etc. i have two and i really like them, but they wouldn’t be very effective in an emergency. Calling 000 would take around a minute. So this is why 112 is a better emergency number-
> 
> Enjoy, HinaYachi nation 🙇♀️

The rotary phones covered his room. There were about twenty in total, in all different shapes and sizes. Aside from some posters on the ceiling, they were the only thing that decorated his room. Another thing to note is that;

All the phones worked.

Twenty different phone numbers, he had recognised. Was it an obsession, his collection? Yes. Definitely. He found it amusing to give people a random phone number, and see which phone rung. He had done this for so long that he began to make a game of who would ring from which telephone. 

He laid on his bed, staring at the old posters on his ceiling. Marilyn Monroe’s gorgeous, pale face stared back at him. Dorothy Dandridge stood proudly on another movie poster, a yellow background filled with sketchy drawings of people dancing behind her. The words “Carmen Jones” stood out in bright red lettering.

The room was too quiet, Shoyo noticed. Not a single person had rung since Atsumu had broken up with him. The phones had gathered dust, since Shoyo had been too busy crying to take care of his precious collection.

He decided to go to the library.

——

The rain outside pittered quietly against the window. The sky was a light shade of grey, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Shoyo pulled out his bright, yellow umbrella and stepped out onto the street. It was filled with the buzz of conversation, cars, and rain slamming into the concrete. Shoyo sighed as he quietly made his way to the library. 

The doors to the library were dark wood, with elegant carving making them seem ever more regal. Shoyo retracted his bright umbrella and shook off the rain before stepping inside and placing his umbrella in the provided stand.

He took in the library. The smell of old books, knowledge. The smell of the aging carpet and aging people as dust gathered on aging books. The steaming cup of tea in an old woman’s hand. He could hear as pages were turned. He could hear the quiet footsteps of people making their way through the shelves upon shelves of books. The library made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He felt kind of out of place as a 15-year-old in this palace of wonder only occupied by the elderly, but it wouldn't take away from the experience of the wonderful world of knowledge known most commonly as the library.

Shoyo made his way to the back of the large library. He was heading for the Romance section. Was it unusual to see a boy head to this section? Absolutely. Most boys went for the Young Adult or Sports section. Those boys were missing out, most definitely. The Romance section held the most compelling stories a young mind could lay eyes on.

He didn’t expect another person to be in the Romance section, and certainly not someone his age. A small girl. Her blonde hair was short and pulled back with a butterfly barrette. She had a pile of books next to her, and was shuffling through the works of Bethany Harriet. She noticed Shoyo standing near her, and looked up.

“Ah- hello.” Shoyo smiled a little awkwardly. 

The girl smiled back. “Hiya. I’m surprised to see such a young boy in this section.” she said, putting the book in her hand on the pile of books behind her. “Your name is…?”

“I’m Shoyo Hinata,” he said, putting his hand out. “Nice to meet you..

“Hitoka Yachi,” the girl nodded and shook his hand. “It’s lovely to see someone my age here.”

“Considering the only other people I see here are old people, it must be.”

“Do you come to the library often?” Hitoka asked.

Shoyo knelt on the floor beside her. “I used to, when my mother was still around.”

“Ah, I see. Sorry for your loss.” Hitoka said dreamily, accidentally getting more engrossed in the blurb of a book than Shoyo for a second. 

“It’s fine. I-I’ve been fine. Mostly. That’s why I come to the Romance section.” Shoyo smiled.

Yachi giggled quietly. “The Romance section is where I basically dump all my problems into.”

“That’s a good idea, let me try.” Shoyo grinned back, and the two shared a quiet laugh.

Shoyo pulled out his notebook. “Got any recommendations?” he asked Hitoka.

Hitoka rolled up the sleeves of her knitted yellow jumper. She grinned cheekily at Shoyo. “Absolutely.”

The two teens spent the next hours discussing novels, authors, stories, until the sun began to fall. The rain still pit-pit-pattered at the window pane when the conversation turned to the topic of personal life.

“What‘s your father like, Shoyo?” Yachi asked curiously.

Shoyo looked at the floor. “Father… father left a while ago. With my sister, too.”

Hitoka’s eyes widened. “Does that mean… you live alone?” she asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I do now. Father didn’t like me, and he didn’t like the person I liked. So he left the house, saying something like, ‘I don’t want to live in the same house as a rat.’”

“That’s awful…”

Shoyo’s face turned to that of gentle panic. “No no, really, I’m okay.” he assured her. And frankly, he was okay. Sort of. Not really.

“If you say so…”

“Hey, would you like my number?” Shoyo asked, deciding to change the topic quickly.

Hitoka’s eyes lit up. “Really? Would that be okay?” she said eagerly.

“Of course!” Shoyo said. “Here, I’ll write it down for you…”

——

The two grabbed their umbrellas and stepped outside. Hitoka’s umbrella was a pretty shade of rose pink. Shoyo noticed how the colour was very similar to the colour of her barrette.

“I’ll see you around, Hitoka.”

“Mhm! I’d love to hear from you soon!” she smiled.

As the two parted ways, Shoyo felt something warm and fuzzy in his heart. Going to the library was a great idea, he realised. The rain fell harder against his small, yellow umbrella, and he quickly resolved to head home as soon as possible.

——

It was a misty Thursday evening. Shoyo had gotten home from work twenty minutes ago, and he was now preparing food in the kitchen. He didn’t mind being alone. Sometimes he felt really sick and awful and lonely, but he didn’t think it was that bad.

Suddenly, a ringing sound came from his bedroom. Shoyo put down his knife and the vegetables he was cutting to go answer the phone. When he made it to his bedroom, he noted that the colour of the phone ringing was a soft, rose pink colour.

“Hello hello, how can I help?” he asked, a little warily but cheerfully nonetheless.

“Is this Shoyo from the Romance section?” a familiar voice asked.

Hitoka Yachi was calling him.

“Hitoka! Thank you for calling! Uh- I mean yes, that’s me.”

Hitoka giggled. “Good, good, I’m glad to hear you’re well.”

Shoyo blushed a little. “Uh, I’m so sorry… could you call back in… twenty… twenty minutes, yeah. I’m a teeensy bit busy, and I’d rather keep the house not on fire today.” he said, shyly.

“Mhm, alright. Twenty minutes, because I’ll be counting. Seeya then, Shoyo.”

She hung up. Shoyo placed the receiver down, feeling the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest again. 

—— 

The conversation that night was lovely. They talked about everything.

They talked.

And talked. 

And talked.

Shoyo ended up falling asleep on the phone, accidentally wearing himself out. Hitoka had laughed really hard after she hung up. It was hilarious. How did he just… fall asleep like that? She didn’t know, but it was funny to listen to.

Hitoka wanted to spend more time with this library boy. It sounded like something she’d suddenly have time for.

——

The two talked over the phone every day. They met up at the library sometimes, and there they would talk forever about everything. Shoyo felt like it was all a dream. He found himself impatiently waiting by the phone every evening, waiting for Hitoka’s nightly calls. He had become neglectful of the other mostly unused phones, focusing only on the phone that Hitoka’s voice came through. 

Hitoka also found herself looking towards their chats. She wanted to call him earlier in the day, but she restrained herself. She wanted to meet up with him all the time. She wanted to hear his voice more often. She wanted to watch him read a book, wanted to watch those gorgeous, earthy brown eyes stare into the pages. 

It was two months after meeting him that she realised she had a crush on Shoyo. 

She was in the library again, on a drizzly Saturday evening, a few hours before she had her daily talk with Shoyo. She was wandering through the romance section, looking for another book to cry over. She was flicking the pages of a book when a bright yellow cover caught her eye.

She picked up the book. 

“Jeremy.” The title read.

The book that Shoyo had so eagerly suggested to her last time they talked. It was bright yellow, just like his umbrella. The front cover had a picture of a happy couple on it. Hitoka sighed and picked up the book. She would take it home and read it, and then her and Shoyo could talk about it for hours.

And they did.

——  
The next morning was a rainy morning. The pink phone rang again. Shoyo excitedly ran up to the phone, a grin on his face. “Hitoka decided to call early today, surely!” he thought ecstatically.

“Hey, Shoyo.” A deep voice came through the phone.

Shoyo recognised the voice. It was the voice that whispered in his ear all those nights ago. The voice that would echo in his head months after last hearing it when he was wondering where it had all gone wrong. The voice that had kept him company for almost two years. He had, and still loved, the owner of that deep, rich voice.

It was Atsumu Miya.

“What do you want, Atsumu?” he asked, a hint of disappointment but also elation hidden in his voice.

Atsumu’s reply sounded honest and sincere. “Look, Shoyo, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you. I broke your trust. A-and I-I-I just…” he paused. “I just want to be with you again.”

Shoyo nearly dropped the receiver. Atsumu wanted… to come back…to him...

“I- I wanna be with you too!” Shoyo pleaded. He didn’t realise how much he missed that man’s touch. How much he missed his cooking, his voice, his smell, his-

“Alright… you mind if I come over?” Atsumu asked sheepishly.

“Yes, yes! Yes, of course!” Shoyo stammered out. He was over the moon. If he and Atsumu could just make it work again…

He was an idiot, and he was too much of an idiot to notice that. He was playing for his own downfall, forgiving a cheater. 

——

“Hey, Hinata.” Atsumu smiled.

Shoyo felt a false sense of happiness fill his heart. Atsumu was really back. 

But…

What about…

Did he miss someone…?

Something was definitely off… but what?

Shoyo ignored the awful feeling in his stomach when Atsumu hugged him. He let himself melt into his touch, too disoriented to doubt him. 

Atsumu brought a large suitcase filled with clothes and other essentials. Shoyo was more than happy to let him stay. Atsumu was sorry, and Shoyo was all too ready to accept whatever shitty apology the faux-blonde-haired boy threw up. He was blinded by his love for Atsumu. He was blinded by the fact he was lonely, and lonely people can make bad, impulsive decisions. 

Shoyo still talked to Hitoka every night. It had been three weeks since Shoyo had actually gotten back with Atsumu that he decided to tell her.

“My boyfriend came back!” Shoyo had exclaimed.

“Wow, that’s… that’s really good for you, Shoyo. I hope he treats you well.”

“Yeah, he’s the best, I love him… I do.”

“I see. I’ve got to go, Shoyo. Talk to you later.” Hitoka said quietly.

“Okay.”

Hitoka hung up. 

She cried herself to sleep that night. “Why me?” She had asked herself an infinity of times. Why, why her? School was hard, being alone was hard, and when she had finally found someone who she might have a chance with, and they had gone and got a fucking boyfriend. Not that she judged him for it, she wasn’t like that, wasn’t like what his father was most likely like. But… she wanted to be the lucky one. Not some bastard who probably smokes and catcalls women on the street.

She pulled out her Walkman and headphones. Putting the headphones on, she put a tape in, one labeled “heartbreak songs” and flopped back onto her bed. The music circled in her head along with the events of the last months.

It was 1982, for God’s sake. She should be out with friends, not crying alone in her bedroom listening to breakup songs, not even having been in a relationship yet. And yet, here she was. She cursed herself for her unfortunate taste in women and men.

——

“Atsumu, please, don’t!” 

“Yer a cheating bastard, Sho!”

“I-it’s not like that- I-I promise! We’re just friends!” 

“Friends? Bullshit. Those visits to the “library”, yer goin’ to her house and fuckin’ her, aren’t you?!” 

“I- I haven’t- no! What can I do to prove… please.” He begged. Shoyo was tugging at the bottom of Atsumu’s shirt.

Atsumu looked down at him. “Cut the lines.”

“Huh?”

“Cut the lines of the phones. You don’t talk to anyone else anyways.”

“But-“

“I’ll leave. And it’ll be yer fault this time.” Atsumu threatened.

Shoyo hung his head in defeat. 

“O-okay.”

As Atsumu walked away, he grabbed a pair of scissors and walked to his bedroom. He cried as he cut the lines of every single telephone, as if he was cutting off a part of himself. 

“Goodbye, Hitoka.” he said as he cut through the last line, the line that belonged to Hitoka Yachi.

——  
It had been three weeks since Shoyo had answered her calls.

Yachi began to panic. Was it her fault?

She decided to go find out.

——

Hitoka knocked on Shoyo’s door. She knew it was his house, he had described the location with incredible detail over the phone, and Hitoka, being the love-struck girl she was, had memorised the location. 

It wasn’t Shoyo who answered the door. The person who answered the phone was what Hitoka assumed to be his boyfriend.

“Who are ya?” Atsumu asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m Hitoka… Hitoka Yachi. I’m looking for Shoyo Hinata.”

“Shoyo…? Yeah, he’s over at a friend’s place.” Atsumu lied. He figured this girl was the one Shoyo had “cheated” on him with, and decided to leave her out of his life.

“Oh… I’m sorry to bother you, sir.” Hitoka mumbled, hanging her head. 

“Sorry about that.” He said, closing the door on her.

Hitoka sighed as she walked back home. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see Shoyo ever again.

——

“Why was she here?” Atsumu asked Shoyo, walking into his room.

“W-who? I don’t know who you’re talking about!” Shoyo cried.

“Liar. I thought ya might actually want me back, but I guess not. I’m leaving. Yer an awful person, I shoulda known better.” Atsumu left the room, and began packing up his stuff. Tears started to form in the corner of his eyes.

Shoyo chased after him. “Atsumu-! I swear, I’m not-“

“Not what? Yer been distancing yourself from me all this time, and I was sick of it, ya know?”

“I didn’t…”

“You’ve fallen in love with her, right?” Atsumu said bitterly.

Shoyo went quiet.

“Knew it. She’s nice, I hope you treat her better than you did me.” 

“I-“

“Goodbye, Sho-chan. Good luck.”

And with that, Atsumu left, leaving Shoyo alone.

Shoyo cursed himself. He had always had an awful habit of not looking before he leaped. And now he found himself stuck at the bottom of a well, unable to get out, drowning slowly. 

—— 

The next day after Hitoka’s unsuccessful endeavour at getting contact with Shoyo, she decided to head to the library. Maybe she would see Shoyo? 

She got dressed. Her favourite yellow-knit jumper. A pair of simple denim jeans. Red Converse shoes. She put a pink butterfly barrette into her hair, and looked in the mirror. She looked too young to be going to the library.

The weather was miserable and raining. She grabbed her rose-pink umbrella and stepped out onto the empty streets. It was loud, despite the lack of people. Hitoka made her way to the library, looking in the shop windows as she walked past.

She walked into the library, shaking out her umbrella as she did so. She placed her umbrella in the stand, which had a noticeably absent yellow umbrella. Hitoka walked slowly through the library, and to the back section, the Romance section.

Hitoka dragged a beanbag from the Young Adult section into her favourite section, and sat down after picking out a random book from the shelf. She began to read absentmindedly. She wasn’t paying attention to the book. 

Her thoughts shifted to Shoyo. She thought back to their first meeting, three and a half months ago. He was so cute and shy… Hitoka was sure he was much more sociable when surrounded by familiar people. She sighed and turned the page of her book, feeling a little lonely and empty at the thought of romance.

——

Shoyo pulled himself out of bed at 4pm the next day to get ready. He was heading to the library that evening, and he would read romance novels until his heart ached, or until the library closed.

After a long shower, he put on a collared shirt, and pulled a brown jumper over the top. He put on a pair of very dark brown pants and wrapped a belt around his waist. Adjusting his collar, he grabbed his yellow umbrella and headed to the library, looking at the shop windows as he walked by.

——  
It was 4:30 pm. Hitoka realised she should get home before it got too dangerous. She put the book she was reading back on the shelf, and grabbed the beanbag she sat on and dragged it back to its home. She quietly walked to the exit, feeling a little numb. She grabbed her umbrella and opened the door, walking through the frame. Someone else on the other side had the same idea, and they bumped into each other.

“I’m so sorry!” The both said at the same time. They both looked up at the person they ran into. 

“Hitoka!”

“Shoyo!”

The two stood in between the entrance of the library, surprised and a little shocked.

“Hitoka… I’m so sorry…” Shoyo began.

“No, I am, really I-“

“My boyfriend broke up with me, you wanna hang out?” Shoyo asked quietly.

“Your boy- nevermind. Yeah, I’d love that.” Hitoka flustered. Knowing Shoyo, he would not be up for a sympathy session and would much rather go to an arcade or something.

“Do you wanna get ice-cream?” Shoyo asked shyly.

“While it’s raining?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

Shoyo held out his hand to Hitoka, and she took it. She and Shoyo walked along the streets under Shoyo’s bright umbrella. The city lights were starting to be lit, and they reflected beautifully against the wet pavement. Hitoka leaned her head on Shoyo’s shoulder. Shoyo wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. 

They bought their ice-cream, and headed back to Shoyo’s house. They ate their ice-cream as they walked, making small conversation and giggling when Shoyo got ice-cream on his nose.

They were outside Shoyo’s house when Hitoka stopped. She turned to Shoyo.

“I- I love you.” She said quietly.

Shoyo blushed furiously. “Y-you do? That’s… that’s cool! I-I mean… I do? I do too!” He said, flustering a bit. “I- I real-“

Shoyo was cut off by Yachi pressing her lips to his. Shoyo gasped a little, but accepted the kiss nonetheless. Yachi pulled his head closer to hers, and went on her tip-toes to make the height even. Shoyo pressed back, letting Hitoka grab his wooly jumper. Hitoka sighed with bliss.

She pulled away, and was surprised to see such a big grin on Shoyo’s face.

He pulled her closer, letting their noses touch. He giggled. Hitoka noted how his breath smelled of mint ice-cream. How if you looked closely, he had freckles on his nose. So cute…

“I love you, so much.” Shoyo said before pulling her into another kiss.

And there they were. Two lovebirds, kissing in the rain under a yellow umbrella. It felt like they were in a romance novel. To be honest, they probably were.

**Author's Note:**

> oh wow, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this. (If you didn’t... ahahaha well I’m sorry, not much I can do about that lmao)
> 
> I want to make my contributions to HinaYachi nation, because i, a bisexual, am simply asking for a relationship just like this pls- *cries*
> 
> (Or I’m happy with a big tiddy goth gf, either either)


End file.
